This invention relates generally to sealing apparatus, and more particularly concerns sealing off the interface between members brought together underwater and about fluid passing ports formed in such members.
Conventional sub-sea well drilling and production involves the use and operation of a large number of fluid pressure responsive actuators. The latter operate sub-sea equipment such as valves, blow-out preventers, hydraulic rams, etc. Typically, the actuators are located on a stack of well head equipment on the ocean floor, and it becomes necessary and desirable to establish fluid pressure communication with the actuator via an underwater connector part of which may be lowered to the stack from the surface. The connector includes members one of which is lowered into face to face relation with the other to bring fluid pressure ports in the member into registration. Sealing of the ports then becomes critically necessary. Prior seals for this purpose not only were undesirably large, complex, difficult to align correctly and subject to malfunction, but they lacked the unusually advantageous structure and mode of operation of the sealing apparatus disclosed herein.